CHISINAU, May 25, 2026

Main draw action at the 2026 Moldova Open got underway on Monday at the brand-new National Tennis Center in Chisinau. On a sunny, warm, but extremely windy afternoon, Luca Nardi opened his campaign at the ATP Challenger 100 tournament with a solid 6-4, 6-3 victory over France’s Hugo Grenier.

The third-seeded Italian converted six of his 12 break-point opportunities to secure the win in one hour and 37 minutes.

Nardi on track 😎

The third seed dispatched Grenier 6-4, 6-3 in Chisinau.#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/Di4X8IdIsr

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 25, 2026

“It was very tough, as it was very windy today,” Nardi told Tennis TourTalk afterwards. “It was not easy to find the right balance on the shots, but I am happy about my performance today and hope that the next match will take place in better conditions. It’s my first time in Chisinau and it’s a nice tennis complex here.”

Nardi is playing his first tournament since a first-round loss to Andrea Pellegrino at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome and appears to be steadily returning to top form after injury troubles earlier this season.

“I suffered a serious injury in Indian Wells, as I broke my left wrist. I took two months off, but I used the time to practice and now I am feeling physically much better,” the current World No. 163 said.

Up next for the 22-year-old Nardi will be his compatriot Lorenzo Giustino. The 34-year-old Naples native outlasted Marco Topo of Germany, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in two hours and 34 minutes, the longest match of the day.

“We had to deal with winds of about 40 kilometres per hour, which made it difficult to play. I was solid from the baseline, but it was challenging to serve today,” Giustino said. “I have just returned from an abdominal injury, which forced me to stop playing for six weeks. This made it even tougher to serve today.”

Giustino also reflected on a difficult first half of the season.

“The first half of the season was not what I had hoped for. I expected better results, but unfortunately my body didn’t respond well and I was forced to retire from several matches. I also had to deal with back problems. Last week I played in Paris, and today I felt in good shape. I hope to continue like this.”

In other first-round action, Stefanos Sakellaridis knocked off fifth-seeded Argentine Federico Agustin Gomez 6-3, 7-5. The 21-year-old Greek struck five aces and won 72 per cent of his first-service points to succeed in one hour and 36 minutes.

“Due to the wind, the shots were very unpredictable today, but I am happy with my win,” Sakellaridis said. “It is a nice complex here and it has great potential. I think they want to grow tennis here, and that’s a nice thing. I already visited the city centre, which is very nice. I am happy to be here.”

Sakellaridis, who captured his maiden ATP Challenger title in New Delhi, India, in February and has climbed to a career-high World No. 197, will next face either Colombian veteran Daniel Elahi Galan or Spanish qualifier Alex Martinez.